Metallic container



Sept. 19, 1933. w A, B'RQWN METALLIC CONTAINER Filed July 14, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Q l /Lm WMM ATTORNEY v.. A M.

Sept. l9, 1933. w A. B'RowN 1,927,255

METALLIC CONTAINER med .my 14. 1955 s sheets-sheet 2 '75M oRNEY sept. 19, 1933. w. A. BROWN 1,927,255

METALLIC CONTAINER Filed July 14; 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Patented Sept. 19, 1933 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METALLIC ooN'rAmER, l William A. Brown, Philadelphia, ra.

Application July 14, 1933. Serial No. 680,371

1s claims. (o1. 22o-15) The object of this invention is to devise a novel Which will have its walls properly insulated so metallic liquid container .in the form of a drum, that no material change in temperature or conbarrel or keg, which can be maintained in a sanidition of the liquid will occur during shipment tary condition and which Will have no harmful from the place of manufacture to the place of 5 effect on the liquids contained therein. distribution or until used.

My present invention, although not limited in By constructing the inner'shell of the barrel of its use, is especially adapted to receive beer and thin sheets of non-oxidizable metal which will other liquids, which are easily contaminated and not absorb the liquid or affect the condition o1 may quickly acquire a permanent bad taste if any the liquid within the container I overcome the l0 impurities are present in the container. necessity of employing any coating or lining on 65 It is now customary to make barrels of this .the inner shell, Which is not only an expensive character of wood and it has been deemed essenoperation, but, due to the severe handling to tial, in order to obtain the proper quality of barrel, which containers of this character are subjected, to employ selected white` oak sawed from the heart the lining often becomes cracked or broken, and

Wood of the tree. These barrels are expensive to thus ineffective for the purposes for which it was. 70

construct and costly to maintain in a satisfactory intended. condition under hard, constant usage. The wood Owing to the provision of a corrugated spacing is of a porous nature and difliculty in coating or vmember, which may be of ordinary low carbon lining the barrel to prevent absorption and consteel because of the way in which I completely entamination of the liquids contained therein, is close and protect it between non-oxidizable metal 75 always present. Furthermore, there is not at members, I am able to employ muchA thinner this time in this country or in foreign countries sheets for the inner and outer drums, as the a suiiicient quantity of white oak of the proper strength of such sheets is greatly increased due character as to quality and age, that can flll lthe to the manner Ain which the component parts of demand. y the container yare welded together to provide a Therefore, a further object of this invention is unitary structure. l 3

to devise a novel .metallic container which can A further object-of my invention vis to devise a be economicallyconstructedfromsheet metal of n ovel construction.v ,and arrangement of a reina non-oxidizable nature such as for example forced metallic container which, if desired, may be stainless steel, Monel Vmetal or other metals of vacuum sealed.

similar characteristics'. With the above land other objects in. view, as

In carrying out the invention I provide a double will hereinafter more clearly appear, my invenlwalled container of sheets of this character and' tion comprehends a novel construction and arbetween them I interpose a corrugated spacing rangement of a metallic container.

member which is welded either to the inner or It further comprehends a novel metallic 00nthe Outer Shell 0f the drum aS may be desired tainer comprising an inner andan outer shell to and unite therewith `end closures in such a man.- one of which is Welded a 'corrugated liner, the ner, that an insulating vacuum surrounds the shells being welded to a third member at their eentaiher. The end C10S11reS` are also preferably ends and being provided with end closures, which 40 constructed in a similar manner so that an inner are preferablyl similarly reinforced Vwith a corand Outer metal diSC iS provided WhiCh are Welded rugated liner and which are Welded to the shells, together and reinforced by a corrugated member and suchend closures may also be vacuum sealed. to provide an insulating` vacuum in each closuref It further vcomprehends a novel metallic conend ell-S0 t0 provide the requisite Strength t0 pretainer which may be of a bilge construction and severity of the usage to whichit is subjected. a novel manner, reinforced in a novel manner at In this manner, I am able to construct a me.- their ends, and provided with means for forming tallic container which .may or may notv be proa vacuum between the inner and outer shells.

vided with a bilge and which may be formed of Other novel features of construction and ad- 50 thin Sheet metal, S0 that When COmpleted it Will vantage will' hereinafter more clearly appear in approximately cost the same as to manufacture a the detailed description and the appended claims.

wooden barrel, will be Apractically indestructible, For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I

will be sanitary and lreadily cleansed, with nog have shown in the accompanying drawings forms Sharp @OrnerS t0 COlleCt dust', dirt 0r bacteria, ythereof` which are at present preferred by me,

Will not absorb the liquid contained therein, and Isince they will give in practice satisfactory and 45 Verlt injury t0 the Container regardless 0f the comprises a plurality of shells welded together in .100-

` that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precised arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of` a metallic container, embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view, the section being taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional detail on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is an elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, of another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5 5 of Figure 4.`

Figure 6 is a side elevation partly in section of another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 7 is a side elevation partly in section of another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary View of another em bodiment of my invention showing the intermediate corrugated shell as welded to the inner shell and bonded to the outer shell.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings:

Referring rst to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, 1 designatesa metallic container'embodying my invention. This form of metallic container is provided with an inner cylindrical shell 2 formed of thin sheet material of a non-oxidizable character such as for example, stainless steel, Monel metal, or similar metals. A sheet of stainless steel or other metal is rolled into a cylindrical form, and the meeting ends are united by an air tight butt welded seam as at 3. 'Ihe inner shell 2 is surrounded by a corrugated sheet metal reinforcing member 4. This member 4 is formed of thin sheet metal which, in this form of my construction, is corrugated transversely of its length and the sheet metal employed may have any desired characteristics and may be any economical type of mild steel.

The valleys of the corrugations are, as illustrated, electrically welded at spaced intervals, as at the spots 5 to the inner shell 2, although, if desired, they may be electrically welded to the l outer shell 6, which has a close or friction t channel member 8, preferably of ynon-oxidizable metal, which is fixed in an air tight position by means of the continuous arc welds 9. In certain instances either the channel member 8 or the reinforcing member 19 may be dispensed with.

If it is desired to vacuum seal the insulating space between the two shells 2 and 6, the corrugations of the intermediate reinforcing member f4 are apertured as at l0 throughout its length t0 facilitate such an operation.

The end closures may be of any desired or conventional character, but I have'preferred to illustrate them as being of a similar construction to that of the side walls of the metallic container. Each end closure, as illustrated, consists of a cup shaped inner end member 11, to which is welded,

by the air tight arc Weld l2, an outer disc 13,

and, between these discs, are provided corrugated discs 14, secured by the spot welds 15 to the disc 13. If the space between the inner and outer end closure members 11 and 13 is to be vacuum sealed, the corrugations in the disc 14 are apertured as at 16. The ange of the end closure member 1l is resistance line welded as at 17 to the inner shell 2, and, at its free end, it may also be arc welded as at 18 to the inner shell 2.

Devices of this character are subjected to very -hard usage, since they are often, when lled space between the members 1l and 13 of theV end closures.

The bung hole may be formed in any desired or conventional manner, but I have preferred to illustrate it as being formed by a threaded collar 24, which is permanently attached to the inner shell 2, and arc Welded thereto asat 25. This collar receives a casting or forging 26, adapted to receive the bung. The casting or forging 26 at the outer end has a ange 27 which is air tight arc, welded at 28 to the depressed portion of the outer shell 6 surrounding such ange.

29 designates a spile which may be of any desired or conventional construction, which is preferably air tight arc Welded to the members 11 and 13 of the end closure,`as indicated at 34 and 30.

In the form of my invention shown in Figures 4 and 5, the construction is similar to that already described except that the corrugations of the reinforcing member 4 between the inner and the outer shells 2 and 6 has its corrugations 31 running longitudinally instead of transversely,

as seen in Figure 1, and the apertures 10 are notneeded. I have therefore identified the corresponding parts by the same reference characters, it being understood that both of these embodiments come Within the spirit and scope of my invention.

'Ihe corrugations are welded /as at 32 to the inner shell 2, the base of each corrugation preferably being spot welded a few inches apart to the inner shell 2 in the same manner as the corrugations shown in Figure 1. The outer shell 6 has a friction fit on the corrugated reinforcing member 4, in the same manner shown in Figure l.

It will be noted that the corrugations of the reinforcing member 14 of -the end closures, in Figure l, extend transversely, while, in Figures 4 and 5, they have a circular arrangement being concentric with each other, as shown at 33, in Figure 5.

It will also be noted that the heavy reinforcing member 19, shown in Figure 4, which protects each end of the container, does not have an inboard flange, and that the arc weld 18 in this instance unites the inner shell 2 and the cup shaped member 1l to the reinforcing member 19 in a single operation.

It is tov be understoodthat I do not desire to be limited to the specific methods of welding described herein. I have merely designated the 1' method best suited, under present day practice,

` inner shell 2. members 11 are then resistance line welded to,

with which to obtain satisfactory results for each particular operation required in the assembling of a complete container. For example, I have preferred to show the ends of the shells 2 and' 6 joined by butt welds, but, under certain conditions, the-.end of these shells would be joined by resistance seam welds. .The thickness of the ymetals used, the character of these metals, and

the extent of the facilities available in the manufacture of containers, particularly the special equipment provided, will determinev the welding methods to be followed.

It will also be understood by those familiar with the fabrication of thin sheet metals, that the mere use of a thin corrugated liner will not materially increase the resistance of the wall to deformation from severe blows. However, the

minute a. thin corrugated liner is welded throughout its area to a thin support an entirelydifferent condition is created to produce unusual strength, because all possibility of the liner spreading under shock is removed. It is of course possible to obtain great strength without welding, but lthe increased thickness of the metal wouldy make the cost prohibitive, the weight excessive, and the use of the container limited.

The procedure in manufacturing the container shown in Figures 1 to5 inclusive is as follows: The inner shell 2 is cut to size and a, hole punched in it to receive the bung. It is then rolled into shape, and its ends butt welded and ground to form a smooth air tight joint. The reinforcing member 4, which has been cut to size, corrugated and punched to permit free access to the bung opening of the inner shell 2, is apertured, rolled into shape and pressed into position on the inner shell 2. The free ends of the corrugated member 4 are held in position on the inner 'shell 2 and spot welded thereto. These two members are then revolved, preferably by means of an automatic set up, and spot welded to each other throughout their area, using enough welds to insure an indestructible entity. The welded members 2 and 4 are now ready to receive the end closures which are pressed into position on the The flanges of the cup shaped the inner shell 2 to form an air tight joint. If desired, the ends of the members 11 may also be arc welded to the ends of the inner shell 2 as is clearly shown in Figure 3.

The assembling of the end closures is as followsz-The cup shaped members 11 are stamped or spun to size with one such member 'having a hole punched in it to receive the spile 29. The iat disc 13 and the corrugated disc 14, which have been spot welded together to obtain the utmost strength possible from the thin metals used, are pressed into position on the members 11 and arc welded thereto, as shown in Figure 3. One such disc 13 and 14 is punched to receive the spile 29, and both corrugated discs 14 are aper tured to allow a vacuum to be formed in both end closures. The spile 29 is arc welded in posii tion prior to the insertion of the completely assembled end closureon the inner shell 2, and the vacuum valves are also mounted into position, soI that the end closures are completely assembled in their entirety before they are inserted on the inner shell 2.

The threaded collar 24, which is either forged or cast to the shape of the inner shell 2 is then arc welded or otherwise attached to the inner shell 2 to form a permanent air tight joint. The

assembly is now ready to receive the outer shell 6 which has been cut to size, punched to receive the bung and its ends butt welded and ground to form a smooth air tight joint. This outer shell v6 is then pressed into position on the corrugated member 4, ready to receive the annular channeled members 8. These annular channeled members 8, which are formed of heavier material than the members 2, 4 and 6, are then pressed into position between the inner and outer shells 2 and 6, and are arc welded thereto to form an air tight joint, using preferably an automatic set up for the entire operation.

The bung 26 is then screwed into the collar 24 and sealed thereto by any suitable means, and the flange 27, which is seated in the recessed' opening of the outer shell 6, is then arc welded to the outer shell 6 to form a permanent air tight joint.

The heavy channeled members 19, which protect the ends of the container during rough han-- dling in loading and unloading, are then pressed into position, and arc welded to the outer shell 6 and to the flat disc 13 of the end closure. This operation should also be done with an automatic set up if possible.

The container is now ready to receive the vacuum valve 22, which is inserted and permanently attached in position. The space between the inner and outer shells 2 and 6 and between the members 1l and 13 of the end closures are pumped and vacuum sealed, and the container is then ready for commercial use.

Referring now to the embodiment seen in Figure 6, it is advantageous in some cases to provide the container .with a bilge construction so that it Will conform in general appearance to that of an ordinary beer barrel or keg. In this form of my invention, the inner shell 35, which is formed of thin sheet metal of a non-oxidizable nature, has welded to it at 36 an annular corrugated metal member 37. The outer shell is formed in a differentmanner from that shown in the other embodiments of the invention. The outer shell consists of two sheet metal corrugated rings 40 which are Welded at 41 to reinforcing rings 39. The reinforcing rings39 and the inner shell 35 are welded at 42. The members 40 are tapered towards l the free end of the container from the central portion, and are provided with the flutes 43, which form a close fit with the intermediate corrugated reinforcing member 37. At their inner portions the ring members 40 of the outer shell are provided with substantially at flanged portions 43 which rest on the seats or steps 44 of the central reinforcing band 45, the outer periphery of which is substantially flat and form a surface on which the container or barrel can be readily rolled from one place to another. The flanged portions 43 are arc welded at 46 circumferentially of the central reinforcing member 45. This reinforcing member 45 having been welded to the intermediate corrugated member 37 as at 47. The ends of the container are reinforced by annular metal channels 48 which are welded to the outer shell 40 by arc welds 49 and to the end closure 50 by arc welds as at 51. If it is desired to create a vacuum, the intermediate corrugated shell 37 is apertured throughout its length as at 52 as will be understood by referring to the other figures of the drawings, and a vacuum valve 53 is provided.

A detailed description of' the end closures is not necessary as the arrangement and construction of the end vclosures is the same as that already sive. It will be understood that the container is provided with a reinforced bung hole and with a spile 38 of any desired or conventional manner as well as a vacuum valve 57, as already explained in conjunction with Figures 1 and 4. As illustrated, the central reinforcing member 45 is formed from sheet material and is stepped to form shoulders to receive the inner ends 43 of the members 40 which contribute with the reinforcing band 45 to form the outer shell.

In Figure 6, I have shown the flutes 43 as eX tending longitudinally of the container. The construction shown in Figure 7 is similar to that shown in Figure 6 except that the intermediate member 54 is longitudinally corrugated, similar,

to the forms shown in Figures 4 and 5, and the outer shell instead of being fiuted as shown in Figure 6 is transversely corrugated and welded to the end members in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 6. The outer shell consists of the reinforcing member 55, and the rings 56 of thin sheet metal of a non-oxidizable nature, have corrugations which are directed transversely and decrease in depth from the central reinforcing member 55 towards the outer ends of the container. The inner shell, the channeled members, the outer shell, the intermediate member andthe end closures are welded together in a similar manner to that already described with reference to Figure 4.

It will thus be apparent that I do not desire to be limited to having the corrugations or flutes extend in any specific direction, as this will vary in accordance with the requirements and conditions met in practice.

It is further understood that while I refer to welding, I do not desire to be ylimited to any special type of welding so long as it is of a character which will properly unite the parts to be employed and the spacing of the welds will vary in accordance with the use` to which the container is to be putfand the thickness and composition of the metals used.

It will be noted that in the embodiments of my invention thus far explained the corrugated liner is -welded to only one of the shells, for example, as illustrated, to the inner shell. It will of course be apparent that this corrugated liner can be bonded to the other shell, for example the outer shell, in any desired or conventional manner, and any type of welding which is practical can be employed. In Figure 8, I have shown this idea wherein the inner and outer shells and the corrugated shell may be constructed in any of the manners herein disclosed, the corrugated shell @ing welded to the inner shell and also being bonded to the outer shell as illustrated at 58. In the majority of cases this additional bond is unnecessary but it may -be employed if desired.

These bonds are at spaced intervals throughout the area and the space between the bonds may vary in accordance with the conditions and requirements met in practice. I have illustrated this additional bond between the outer shell and the cirrugated liner on the wall of the container but i will be apparent that it is within the scope of my invention to construct the end closures in a similar manner.

Considerable time and money have been expended'in trying to develop a metallic beer barrel orv keg which can be substituted for the conventional wooden barrel or keg, with its 'unusually thick walls that provide both strength and insulation against heat; the two qualities that must be present in a metallic beer barrel to be satisfactory.

In the case of metallic barrels or kegs with a single thick metal wall the absorption of heat on warm days is so great that the least exposure to the sun rays will ruin the beer. By adding the problem of excessive weight, to prevent mutilation in service, to that of heat absorption, it will be easily understood why this type of metal barrel is impracticable.

Metal containers, in the form of a drum, barrel or keg, having thin inner and outer metallic walls with nothing but an insulating material interposed between the walls to protect the liquid contents against deterioration from heat, etc., will not withstand the severe shocks customary in the brewing industry, where the same container receives continuous rough handling during its life. The insulating material used in these containers, because ofthe purpose for which it is intended, cannot have the strength to properly reinforce the walls of the container, and a few months of rough handling usually finds the container battered and unfit for further use and any decided increase in the thickness of the outer shell necessary to overcome this handicap means a corresponding increase in weight and cost beyond practical commercial limits.

During the past two or three years, a new thought has been brought into metal container construction and that was to dispense with the thick, weak, insulating liner and replace it with spaced metal reinforcing members, but, to date, these modifications have proved to be far from the answer to the problems involved, y for the simple reason that complete insulation against atmospheric conditions necessary to prevent spoilage of the liquid contents, such as summer heat, has been partially or entirely cast aside, and the same old problem of deformation of the outer shell has not been adequately taken care of. Since containers of this character are likely to be battered all over their outer surface, any reinforcing liner that does not protect the entire area of the outer shell will not prove satisfactory since a dented, disgured end section or any other portion destroys the whole appearance and desirability of the container insofar as its use in `the brewing and similar industries is concerned;

I desire, therefore, to call specific attention to the fact, that, the herein disclosed container, by the use of thin novel deformed or corrugated liners welded throughout their area to a thin annular shell to prevent any chance of bending or spreading, provides tremendous resistance to shock, and will withstand the continuous hard usage of the brewing industry for years without losing its utility or its attractive appearance. further use of a triple wall throughout the entire area of my container, enables me to provide complete insulation, vacuum sealed if desired, and at the same time I substantially increase the strength of the entire container through the welding of this triple wall construction into an entity to keep both weight and cost within commercially practical limits. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isz- 1. A metallic container, comprising sheet metal shells spaced from eachother, an intermediate And the corrugated sheet metal shell contacting with both shells and welded to one of said shells at points of contact, metal rings between the shells at their ends and welded thereto, and end closures welded to said inner shell at its ends.

2. A metallic container, comprising sheet metal shells spaced from each other, an intermediate sheet metal corrugated shell contacting with both shells and having its corrugations welded to one of said shells, metal rings welded to and closing the spaceat the ends of the spaced shells, and end closures having inner and outer spaced members and a corrugated metal disc welded to one of said members.

3. A metallic container, comprising thin shells of non-oxidizable sheet metal spaced from each other, an intermediate corrugated sheet metal shell between and extending substantially throughout the lengths of said shells, contacting with both shells and welded to one of them at spaced intervals throughout its area, end rings of channel formation closing the ends of said shells and welded thereto to form an insulating space between said shells, and end closures closing the ends of said shells and welded to the inner shell to form therewith a fluid tightl container.

4. A metallic container, comprising thin shells of non-oxidizable sheet metal spaced from each other, an intermediate corrugated sheet metal shell between and extending substantially throughout lthe lengths of said shells, contacting with both shells and welded to one of them at spaced intervals throughout its area, end rings of channel formation closing the ends of said shells and, welded thereto to form an insulating space between said shells, end closures closing the ends of said shells and welded to the inner shell to form therewith a uid tight container, and means to vacuum seal said insulating space.

5. A metallic container, comprising sheet metal shells spaced from each other, an intermediate sheet metal corrugated shell having its corrugations contacting with said shells and welded at spaced intervals throughout its area to one of said shells, end rings of channel formation closing the ends of said shells and welded thereto to form an insulating space, a vacuum valve communicating with said space, end closures comprising :inner and outer discs and a corrugated disc between them and having its corrugations welded to one of them at spaced intervals throughout its area, one of said discs being welded to said inner shell of the container, said outer disc being welded to said inner disc to form an insulating space'and vacuum valves for the insulating spaces of said end closures.

6. A metallic container, comprising thin sheet metal shells of non-oxidizable metal spaced from each other throughout their lengths, a corrugated reinforcing shell between the said inner and outer shells, contacting therewith, and Welded at spaced intervals throughout its area to one of said shells, bung `forming members welded to said shells and adapted to receive the bung, end closures comprising inner and outer discs welded together and to said inner shell and having a corrugated metal reinforcing member within said discs and welded to one of them, a spile extending through one of said end closures and welded thereto, and means to close the space at the ends of saidl inner and outer shells to form an air tight insulating space therebetween.

'7. A metallic container, comprising thin sheet metal shells of non-oxidizable material, arranged concentric with each other and providing between them an insulating space, -"a corrugated reinforcing shell of sheet metal between said inner and outer shells, contacting with said shells and having apertures through it to provide intercommunicating chambers to facilitate the formation of a vacuum between the inner and outer shells, annular rings between the inner and outer shells at their outer ends and welded thereto, end closures in fluid tight relation with said shells, and a vacuum valve communicating with the insulation space between said shells to enable the formation of a vacuum therein.

8. A metallic container, comprising thin sheet metal shells of non-oxidizable metal concentricwith and spaced from each other, a corrugated sheet metal shell between said inner and outer shells extending substantially throughout their length contacting with said shells and welded to one of said shells at spaced intervals throughout its area, rings closing the space between said inner and outer shells at their ends and welded thereto to form an insulating space there between, end closures within said inner shell and secured thereto in fluid tight relation, end reinforcing members of angle formation with an annular groove to receive the ends of said inner and outer shells, and continuous welds securing said reinforcement to said shells.

9. A metallic-container, formed of thin sheet metal having the meeting ends of the sheet metal of the shells welded together, said shells being concentric with and spaced from each other, an intermediate shell formed of thin sheet metal having corrugations extending transversely thereto, with said corrugations welded at spaced intervals throughout their area to one of said shells, the other of said shells being in close contact with the corrugations, end sealing members closing the space between said inner and outer shells at their ends and welded thereto to form an insulating space between said shells, and end closures secured in iluidtight relation with said inner shell.

10. A metallic container, comprising metal 12.0 shells of thin sheet metal of non-oxidizable nature concentric with and spacedfrom each other, an intermediate reinforcing shell having corrugations extending longitudinally of the shells, and contacting with said shells, with the corrugations welded at spaced intervals to one of said shells', a sealing member, welded tothe shells at their outer ends to form an insulating space, end closures in fluid tight relation with said inner shell, and end reinforcing members embracing and welded to the free ends of said inner and outer shells.

11. A metallic container of bilge formation, comprising an inner cylindrical shell, an outer shell surrounding it and of greatest diameter in proximity to the central portion and decreasing in diameter towards its ends, sealing means closing the space between said shells at their ends to form an insulating chamber there between, a corrugated sheet metal lining between said shells having its corrugations contacting with said inner and outer shells and welded to one of said shells at spaced intervals throughout its area, and end closures in uid tight relation with said inner shell.

12. A metallic container, comprising an inner cylindrical shell, a corrugated reinforcing member outwardly of such inner shell, an annular central reinforcing member surrounding said corrugated member and welded thereto and forml shell and forming a iluid tight chamber between said inner and outer shells, said corrugations contacting with said inner and outer shells and having openings to facilitate the formation of a vacuum in the insulating space between said inner and outer shells, a vacuum valve communicating with said space, insulated end closures in uid tight relation with said inner shell and annular reinforcing members for the ends of the inner and outer shells and Welded thereto.

I 13. A metallic container, comprising an inner cylindrical shell, a corrugated reinforcing shell surrounding said inner shell, an outer sectional shell comprising an annular central reinforcing member welded to said corrugated shell and having seats at opposite sides to receive the shell forming sections, said sectional shells having their inner ends welded to said central reinforcing member and then tapering towards their free ends to form a bilge construction, annular rings between and welded to the end portions of said inner and outer shells to contribute to form an insulating space between them, the corrugations of said reinforcing shell contacting with said inner and outer shells and being welded to one of said 'shells at spaced intervals throughout its area, end closures having a double wall and an insulating `space therebetween welded to said in ner shell, with corrugated reinforcing members in the insulating space of said end closures welded to one of the walls of such end closures, and annular reinforcing members welded to the ends of mediate corrugated sheetmetal shell between and .extending substantially throughout the lengths of said shells contacting with said spaced shells and welded to one of them at spaced intervals throughout its area, annular rings closing the ends of said shells and welded thereto to form an insulating space between said shells, and end closures closing the ends of said shells and welded to the inner shell to form therewith a fluid tight container.

15. A metallic container, comprising sheet metal shells spaced from each other, an intermediate sheet metal corrugated shell having` its corrugations contacting with said shells and Welded at spaced intervals throughout its area to one of said shells, end rings closing the ends of said shells and welded thereto to form an insulating space, a vacuum valve communicating with said space, end closures comprising inner and outer discs and a corrugated disc between them and having its corrugations welded to one of them at spaced intervals throughout its area, one of said discs being welded to said inner shell `of the container, said outer disc being welded to said inner disc to form an insulating space and vacuum valves for the insulating spaces of said end closures, and annular reinforcing members for the ends of theinner and outer shells and welded thereto.

16. A metallic container, comprisingl sheet metal shells spaced from each other and sealed at their ends to forman insulating space between said shells, an intermediate corrugated sheet metal shell contacting with both shells and Welded to one of said shells at points of contact, and end closures in fluid tight relation with the inner shell at its ends.

17. A metallic container, comprising sheet metal shells spaced from each other and sealed at their ends to form an insulating space between said shells, an intermediate corrugated sheet metal shell contacting with both shells and welded to one of said shells at points of contact, means to vacuum seal said insulating space, and end` closures in fluid tight relation with, the inner l shell at its ends. 18. A metallic container, comprising sheet metal shells spaced from each other and sealed attheir ends to form an insulating space between said shells, an intermediate corrugated sheet metal shell contacting with both shells and Welded to one of said shells at points of contact, means to vacuum seal said insulating space, end closures comprising inner and outer spaced members forming an insulating space and a corrugated sheet metal member between said inner and outer end closure members and having its corrugations welded to one of them, and means to vacuum seal the insulating space of said end closures.

WILLIAM A. BROWN.

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